Nasrallah: We will not tolerate the role of Cabinet spectators for long on 21-10-2005
source: Daily Star, 21-10-2005.
summary: BEIRUT: Hizbullah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday his party would quit the Cabinet if the government does not act as an institutionalized body. The cleric warned the government that Hizbullah`s ministers would not accept learning about Premier Fouad Siniora`s decisions from the media and then have to discuss them after they were already in effect.
"We cannot leave our ministers as spectators and witnesses to cover up for the government`s wrongdoings. If they are not given a role in the decision-making process, they would rather resign," he said.
"So far, mistakes went by without causing any serious casualties or losses. However, we cannot guarantee that we could always absorb the shock and avoid damages," he added.
Nasrallah`s comments came hours before Lebanon is due to receive a report from the UN investigation into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"Just like you, I am anxiously waiting to see what Detlev Mehlis` report contains. In a few hours we will know," he said in front of some 8,000 attendees of an iftar dinner held in solidarity with the resistance.
Nasrallah added that Hizbullah agreed with the government on extending Mehlis` mandate, but "only to give him more time to produce a judicial report and avoid any politicization, which would be disastrous to Lebanon and the whole region."
As for a separate report being prepared by UN special envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen, the cleric did not expect much more than what Larsen revealed in Paris earlier this week.
"We refuse to implement Resolution 1559 because it goes against the interests of Lebanon. The resolution`s remaining articles serve the interests of "Israel" at the expense of the region and Lebanon," he said.
However, Nasrallah stressed: "We do not want to challenge the international community, nor confront the world, but we do not have to agree with every resolution, especially when it is not in Lebanon`s best interest."
Regarding the ongoing talks between the government and representatives from various Palestinian factions within the country`s 12 refugee camps, Nasrallah revealed that earlier closed-door discussions on vacating the military bases outside the camps were about to bare fruit when they were interrupted by media reports.
Nasrallah warned that rising tensions over the "militarily insignificant bases" could lead to an unnecessary escalation.
"We condemn any party that resorts to violence in this matter," he said. "We encourage all parties to continue negotiating to solve the problem in the best interest of the Lebanese and the Palestinian peoples."
summary: BEIRUT: Hizbullah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday his party would quit the Cabinet if the government does not act as an institutionalized body. The cleric warned the government that Hizbullah`s ministers would not accept learning about Premier Fouad Siniora`s decisions from the media and then have to discuss them after they were already in effect.
"We cannot leave our ministers as spectators and witnesses to cover up for the government`s wrongdoings. If they are not given a role in the decision-making process, they would rather resign," he said.
"So far, mistakes went by without causing any serious casualties or losses. However, we cannot guarantee that we could always absorb the shock and avoid damages," he added.
Nasrallah`s comments came hours before Lebanon is due to receive a report from the UN investigation into the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
"Just like you, I am anxiously waiting to see what Detlev Mehlis` report contains. In a few hours we will know," he said in front of some 8,000 attendees of an iftar dinner held in solidarity with the resistance.
Nasrallah added that Hizbullah agreed with the government on extending Mehlis` mandate, but "only to give him more time to produce a judicial report and avoid any politicization, which would be disastrous to Lebanon and the whole region."
As for a separate report being prepared by UN special envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen, the cleric did not expect much more than what Larsen revealed in Paris earlier this week.
"We refuse to implement Resolution 1559 because it goes against the interests of Lebanon. The resolution`s remaining articles serve the interests of "Israel" at the expense of the region and Lebanon," he said.
However, Nasrallah stressed: "We do not want to challenge the international community, nor confront the world, but we do not have to agree with every resolution, especially when it is not in Lebanon`s best interest."
Regarding the ongoing talks between the government and representatives from various Palestinian factions within the country`s 12 refugee camps, Nasrallah revealed that earlier closed-door discussions on vacating the military bases outside the camps were about to bare fruit when they were interrupted by media reports.
Nasrallah warned that rising tensions over the "militarily insignificant bases" could lead to an unnecessary escalation.
"We condemn any party that resorts to violence in this matter," he said. "We encourage all parties to continue negotiating to solve the problem in the best interest of the Lebanese and the Palestinian peoples."
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